Private browsing, eh? No, not so much… [FlushCache]

Jun 29, 2009 | Discuss | Tags: apple, apps, browsing, flushcache, privacy, security  

Pop Quiz: when is ‘private browsing’ not so private?
Answer: When your operating system caches your DNS lookups even after they are removed from your local browser cache.
If you have a Mac (presumptuous of me to assume, I know), try this interesting little experiment. Turn on ‘private browsing’ in your favorite browser – Safari, FireFox, Opera – whatever. Now, browse around a bit…hit a few dozens sites, click through some pages. Now, close the browser and if prompted tell it to ‘clean’ your browser. All well and good, right?
Wrong.
Open Terminal (or your favorite equivalent – I like iTerm). Type …